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Chisora takes thinly-veiled swipe at Haye

Dereck Chisora faces Wladimir Klitschko on December 11 © Getty Images

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Dereck Chisora has taken a thinly-veiled swipe at David Haye by insisting that "if you're not fighting the best, you're short-changing yourself".

After Haye failed to agree a bout with WBO and IBF heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko due to a financial dispute, Chisora stepped into the breach.

Haye will instead enter the ring against the frequently derided Audley Harrison, who laboured to a victory against the unheralded Michael Sprott in his most recent battle.

The WBA champion is expected to dispose of Harrison with ease, in much the same way that Klitschko is being tipped to crush Chisora, who is the veteran of a mere 14 professional battles.

But while Chisora accepts that he is a huge underdog for the fight - Klitschko is unbeaten in six years - he feels he deserves credit for having the desire to test himself against the best in the business.

"I've worked hard to get where I am so quickly," he said. "I like to fight the best because I'm in the fighting game. I'm looking to entertain, I don't want to be fighting bums.

"If you're not fighting the best, you're short-changing yourself. If I'm gonna get beat - and so far I haven't - I want to get beaten by the best."

Although Chisora concedes there is a possibility that he may fall prey to Klitschko, there is no doubt that self-belief is coursing through his veins ahead of the December 11 bout in Germany. The Londoner fired a warning to his Ukrainian adversary by comparing himself to some of the greatest heavyweights the sport has seen.

"With me, it's take a bit of Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, bit of Frank Bruno and Lennox Lewis, mix it all up, man, and then you get me... Dereck Chisora," he said.

"With Tyson, I take his head movement, with Holmes it's his jab, with Lennox it's his one-two - oh God, that was a dangerous combination. From Ali, I have foot movement, from Bruno, the physique."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.